My, What a Busy Week!

REMEMBER--Commemorating this dark anniversary with a candlelight vigil? How about not! Commune with some punk acoustic music instead! At 9:11, Twin Tower Destruction Hour will kick off, followed by more "strumcore" from Riot Cop and Please Step Out of the Vehicle. Folk history in effect! MS

Gallery 1914, 1914 E Burnside, 577-6703, 9:11 pm, free

MUSIC--Get ready for gadgets, because I Am Spoonbenderclutters the stage with synthesizers, drum machines, keyboards, and even telephones. Their futuristic, yet retro stage contraptions mimic their ever evolving electronica. And not only will you get to see IAS's mind-blowing show, it'll be your first chance to buy The Mother Effing Joggers' new disc at their much-anticipated CD release. Holy Fun! KS

Berbati's Pan, 231 SW Ankeny, 248-4579, 9 pm, $7

FRIDAY, september 12

DOCUMENTARY--Like a way-too-gritty episode of Survivor, seven desperate Cubans take off on rickshaw rafts for a new life in America with a TV crew in tow. The heart-wrenching film Balseros kicks off the Film Center's annual (and remarkable) Human Rights Film Festival. PB

Guild, SW 9th and Taylor, 221-1156, through Wednesday, 7 pm, $7

ELECTROACOUSTIC JAMMATHON--Unlike the Third Rail, the Fourth Rail is the one is where you can't get killed. Relax danger-free in the downtempo of 4R purveyors Surrounded by Ninjas, as electronics and improvised jazz reach critical mass. JS

w/Eleven Eyes, Nimbus; Fez, 316 SW 11th, 221-7262, 9 pm, $6

SATURDAY, september 13

WTO PROTEST--Ready for the last big protest march of the summer? Then come on out for the Global Day of Action Against the WTO. And though this year's World Trade Organization meeting is being held in Cancun, Mexico, marching in Portland's parade will give a big F.U. to all those who "attack workers rights, the environment and democracy" through corporate skullduggery. WSH

MUSIC--What's better than seeing Queensryche live? Well, I'll tell you: seeing Empyre, the Queensryche cover band live. Why? You get to hear all the hit songs, not some crappy new stuff; it's way easier to get a beer, and it's a million times cheaper. KS

w/Server X; Conan's, 3862 SE Hawthorne, 234-7474, 9 pm, $10

OH CANADA!--Tonight two of the country's finest, and most underrated, exports will be representing the mighty Maple Leaf. The Constantines are your new favorite band with their barking Joe Strummer vocals and Fugazi enthusiasm. The Weakerthans' new album, Reconstruction Site, is one of the year's finest releases, combining cozy indierock instrumentation and deep-rooted literary songwriting. EAC

w/Oliver; Nocturnal, 1800 E. Burnside, 239-5900, 8 pm, $10, all ages

SUNDAY, september 14

BARISTA THROWDOWN--Fans of competitive coffee-making unite! Today at the NASCORE Specialty Coffee & Tea Trade Show, you can watch the West's finest baristas cook up their signature drinks for a panel of expert judges, who will grade on taste, presentation, and technique! Plus! Enough free coffee and tea samples to make your teeth roll! JWS

SHINY UNDERPANTS--Pop provocateurs Fischerspoonerincorporate all the necessary ingredients into their shows: pop music, performance art, elaborate costumes, film, smoke, swooshy lights, and shiny underpants while lip-synching to their album #1. They look and sound so good, they may expand pop culture and make shiny underpants popular again. AM

HIPHOP--Performing from their new record, the excellent Seven's Travels, hiphop duo Atmosphere reps for the Midwest, women with low self-esteem, and confused artists, all amid a plush collection of beats and samples. Plus, Brother Ali will be there! He is the badassicalest Muslim albino rapper ever. JS

w/Micronauts, Odd Jobs; Roseland, 8 NW 6th, 224-2038, 8 pm, $15

WEDNESDAY, september 17

MUSIC--Sure them White Stripes are over-hyped, but there must be a reason I hear their CD every time I go to the Delta, or Dots, or the Bonfire; it's 'cause that paired down sound is catchy and hip. And speaking of hip, the ultimate hipsters, Yeah Yeah Yeahs are bringing their sexy art garage just in time. Phew. KS